Misery loves company. According to METRO Magazine’s survey of the top 100 bus fleets, 78% are experiencing budget issues. And of those 78%, most report having to resort to service cuts and fare increases to bridge the gap. FYI, Metro is #2 on the list in terms of size following NYC MTA. Metro’s bus fleet has actually grown by 21 buses since 2009 (NYC MTA dropped 118 buses) and there are 388 articulated buses in the fleet.

This is an interesting look at the connection between transit and real estate values, at least in New York City. Real estate brokers in NYC have noticed a drop in real estate values as transit lines have been cut due to the budget crisis. Market Urbanism notes that at the turn of the 20th century, most of America’s urban rail lines (including L.A.’s streetcars) were actually built by property developers.

This LA Weekly blog post takes a look at two competing viewpoints on the Westside subway being discussed on CityWatch. One, which we’ve posted about previously, is from Richard Lee Abrams who feels the subway is a costly gift to high density developers that no one will ride because new technology will make leaving home unnecessary. The other side comes from bike advocate Alex Thompson who feels the subway serves people, not geography, and will provide a welcome mode of transportation for anyone who chooses to ride it.

This article is a short personal story from a Downtown News journalist who is discovering the new L.A. That is, the one where you don’t neccessarily need to have a car to get around. Jason Feller lives downtown and takes buses, trains and even his own two feet to get where he needs to go.